ChaosWish Isn't Nearly as Chaotic as You Think Pt. 1

Sorcery: Contested Realm · by ForceofPhil · April 26, 2026

When it was first spoiled in Gothic, I hadn't given {Chaoswish} much attention. At the time, it was a whosawhatsit of obscurity that required an outside source to help properly generate its effect. My mind was focused on infinite game Return to Nature strategies in Magician; I wasn't concerned with cockamamie combos that may or may not work within the rules.

{Chaoswish} [6][water][water][air][air]
Cast a copy of a random spell for free, ignoring threshold, then the next player may copy Chaoswish.

The more I've thought about it, though, the more {Chaoswish} captured my imagination. Not solely for the combo-payoff potential it offers, but for the connective tissue it provides for other combos.

This is a glimpse into my thought process as I attempt to uncover Combo Magician.

Wishing for Controlled Chaos

The initial combo that came out of {Chaoswish}es release was threefold:

{Kythera Mechanism} allows you to choose what {Chaoswish} will cast.
- Choosing {Chaoswish} lets you cast infinite {Chaoswish}es.
With a {Ring of Morrigan} on your finger, that is infinite pings to Death's Door the opponent.
- The bottleneck is that the {Ring of Morrigan} must be within range of the opponent.
Once there, a final {Chaoswish} for {Courtesan Thais} effectively removes Death's Door as a game mechanic.

While that combo is great since it features powerful cards you already want to play, I'd like to further explore {Kythera Mechanism} as the actual lynchpin.

Kythera Mechanism

I would argue that {Kythera Mechanism} is the best combo-enabler in all of Sorcery: Contested Realm. It is the nucleus of the aspiring {Chaoswish} and the frame that can encase the {13 Treasures of Britain} into a continuous, overwhelming draw engine.

{13 Treasures of Britain} [4]
When picked up, bearer's controller draws a card. Teleport the Treasures to the top of a random site or void.

With the {Kythera Mechanism}, you can choose to have the {13 Treasures of Britain} teleport into the hands of another allied minion. You can do this to draw a card for each minion you control, plus your Avatar. Then, the {13 Treasures of Britain} can end up near an ally to repeat the loop on the following turn.

While {Highland Princess} can function as a pseudo-second copy of {Kythera Mechanism}, it is tricky to find the lone {13 Treasures of Britain}. You could, of course, move the {13 Treasures of Britain} to the Collection, hoping to discover it in the pair of {Trade Encampment}s that an Atlas is allotted. No-threshold producing sites are a burden on the Atlas, however, and the need to exchange another Unique artifact can lead to awkward positions.

{Chaoswish} is distinct in Sorcery: Contested Realm, though, as the only spell that can create a copy of any other spell. Let's say you don't yet have the {Ring of Morrigan} for the full combo, but you have assembled {Chaoswish} and {Kythera Mechaism}. In this case, Chaoswish can create a copy of the {13 Treasures of Britain}, assembling the draw engine with the {Kythera Mechanism}.

I assume the position that {Chaoswish}'s actual power is as a copy of any other spell necessary to create an engine, rather than as the combo-finisher it was initially pigeon-holed into.

Fret not about Chaoswish's uncontrolled nature. With the {Kythera Mechanism}, the opponent will never let their {Chaoswish} resolve, since you would choose what spell they cast. Since {Chaoswish} states that the next player "may" copy {Chaoswish}, a present {Kythera Mechanism} will also lead to a decline to copy.

If they get cheeky and want to be punished, the proper spell to have them cast is likely {Koschei's Egg}, which puts them on a three-turn clock regardless of what the Realm looks like.

Alternate Win Conditions

Other win conditions are excellent uses for {Chaoswish} to create redundancies. While bearing the {Kythera Mechanism}, if you would like to sit upon {The Immortal Throne}, you could {Chaoswish} for it.

{Chaoswish} has the cheeky glitch of acting as a six-mana spell and a seven-mana spell to convert a charged-up {The Immortal Throne} into a win. With six counters on the throne, {Chaoswish} triggers the seventh counter and then can choose any seven-mana spell to trigger the throne again. You pay six mana but get 13 mana worth of value. I like to think this isn't a coincidence that it's {13 Treasures of Britain} when it comes to winning via monarchy.

If you are in the {Wedding Hall} and only one of the expected betrothed has arrived, {Chaoswish could} ensure the other reaches the altar promptly for the ceremony, where your victory is declared to the Realm. A {Kythera Mechanism}-guided {Chaoswish} would happily generate {King Arthur} or {Guinevere}.

A sequence of events I think about too often is the possibility of winning with a combo that is actually in your deck. For example, you could have {Wedding Hall} in your deck but not {King Arthur} or {Guinevere}, yet still win via their matrimony.

For example, if you draw your deck via {13 Treasures of Britain}, you could stack your deck with {Return to Nature}, looping {Chaoswish} over and over to cast {King Arthur} and {Guinevere}.

Chaos Combo Magician by ForceofPhil

Here's the initial sample of Combo Magician:

DECKLIST_START

Aura (1)

1 {Atlantean Fate} [5][water][water]

Artifacts (13)

1 {Amethyst Core} [1]
1 {Aquamarine Core} [1]
1 {Kythera Mechanism} [1]
1 {Philosopher Stone} [1]
1 {Ring of Morrigan} [1]
1 {Shrine of the Dragonlord} [2]
2 {Silver Bullet} [2]
2 {Sunken Treasure} [3]
1 {The Immortal Throne} [4]
1 {13 Treasures of Britain} [4]
1 {Bleeding Skull} [4]

Minion (8)

1 {Highland Princess} [2][air][air]
4 {Sea Witch} [2][water]
1 {Lady of the Lake} [3][water][water][water]
2 {Grandmaster Wizard} [6][air][air]

Magics (18)

1 {Dream-Quest} [1][air]
1 {Browse} [1][air][air][air]
1 {Plague of Frogs} [1][water][water][water]
4 {Fire Harpoons} [2][water]
3 {Gift of the Frog} [2][water][water]
2 {Pollimorph} [2][water][water]
2 {Return to Nature} [2][water]
1 {Feast for Crows} [3][air][air]
2 {Dhol Chants} [5][air][air]
1 {Chaoswish} [6][water][water][air][air]

Collection (10)

1 {Cast into Exile} [2][air][air]
1 {Recall} [2][air][air]
1 {Wave of Eviction} [2][water]
2 {Fey Changeling} [3][water]
1 {Sunken Treasure} [3]
1 {Swap} [3][water][water]
1 {Undead Ambush} [3][air]
1 {Stormy Seas} [4][water]
1 {Upwelling} [4][water][water]

DECKLIST_END

I've since made significant strides with this archetype. An updated article with a breakdown on how Magician has evolved since will be out soon, but here is the updated decklist:

ForceofPhil's Throne Magician

DECKLIST_START

Aura (1)

1 {Atlantean Fate} [5][water][water]

Artifacts (19)

1 {Amethyst Core} [1]
1 {Aquamarine Core} [1]
1 {Ruby Core} [1]
1 {Onyx Core} [1]
1 {Kythera Mechanism} [1]
1 {Ring of Morrigan} [1]
1 {Four Waters of Paradise} [2]
1 {Shrine of the Dragonlord} [2]
2 {Silver Bullet} [2]
4 {Wiccan Tools} [2]
3 {Sunken Treasure} [3]
1 {The Immortal Throne} [4]
1 {13 Treasures of Britain} [4]

Minion (8)

1 {Highland Princess} [2][air][air]
2 {Fey Changeling} [3][water]
1 {Lady of the Lake} [3][water][water][water]
1 {Morgana le Fey} [3][fire][fire][fire]
1 {Maiden, Mother, Crone} [5][water][water][water]
2 {Grandmaster Wizard} [6][air][air]

Magics (14)

1 {Browse} [1][air][air][air]
1 {Pendragon Legacy} [1][earth][earth]
1 {Plague of Frogs} [1][water][water][water]
1 {Occult Ritual} [2][air]
2 {Common Sense} [2][earth]
2 {Return to Nature} [2][water]
2 {Apply Alkahest} [4][air][water][fire][earth]
1 {Pact with the Devil} [4][fire][fire]
2 {Dhol Chants} [5][air][air]
1 {Chaoswish} [6][water][water][air][air]

Collection (10)

1 {Ferryman's Coin} [1]
1 {Dredge} [2][water]
1 {Exhume} [2][earth]
1 {Poisonous Dagger} [2]
1 {Fey Changeling} [3][water]
1 {Swap} [3][water][water]
1 {Frost Nova} [4][water][water]
1 {Raze} [4][fire][fire]
1 {Scavenging Fiend} [4][fire]
1 {Poison Nova} [5][fire]

DECKLIST_END

Combo has entered the Realm!

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Featured image: {Chaoswish} by Elvira Shakirova

ChaosWish Isn't Nearly as Chaotic as You Think Pt. 1

Wishing for Controlled Chaos

Kythera Mechanism

Alternate Win Conditions

Chaos Combo Magician by ForceofPhil

Aura (1)

Artifacts (13)

Minion (8)

Magics (18)

Sites (20)

Collection (10)

ForceofPhil's Throne Magician

Aura (1)

Artifacts (19)

Minion (8)

Magics (14)

Sites (18)

Collection (10)

Submit Your Article To Eternal Durdles!